Stock-feeding apparatus.



F. T. ENGLISH. STOCK FEEDING APYARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1909.

931,742; 7 Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

are

UNITE Be it known that I, FRANK T. ENnLISI-I,

citizen of the United ,States, residing in Queenstown district, in thecounty of Queen Annes and State of- Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stock-Deciding Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

In feeding dairy cows it is desirable, for sanitaryreasons, tosecure the greatest possible degree of cleanliness, and to replace ordinary troughs and the like by devices atfording nolodgment for bits'of food and such that they may be readily flushed after each feeding and thus be kept in the best sanitary condition. With this end in view cement floors are used and are formed with a slight depression extending continuously in latter and ultimately removed therefrom.

To prevent feed from being thrown toofar from the cows, a 'sheet G, preferably nearly equal in length to the distance between consecutive posts, is set on edge upon STATEfiATENT FRANK T. ENGLISH, QUEENS'I OWN DIS Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 22,1909;

lRICI', QUEEN ANNES COUNTY, MARYLAND. STOCK-FEEDING- APPARATUS. I

Patented Aug. 24, 1909. Serial No. 484,890.

the floor, that side of tlie depression most distantt'rom the posts, with each of its ends I secured to bars I) which are hinged or pivot i ally secured at I l, I, to the end of each of two bars J, K. The pivots Hot the bars 'J are at or near the upper edge of thesheet,

while the pivots I are at some distance from that edge. The opposite ends of the bars J are pivoted to the posts, respectively, so that the sheet may be swung upward above the heads of the cows and between the posts, the bars in that case passing the vertical line of their pivots and resting against the beam C, where they remain by reason of gravity, or where they may also be secured in any suitable way. The free end portion of each bar K slides in an oblique loop M on the side of the corresponding bar J. 'The upper edge of the sheet may be swung toward the lower ends of the bars with its edge nor- 1 front of a longline of cows secured side by plane of the bars J until the sheet makes side. The feed for all is placed in this debut a small angle therewith, the sheet turn- I prcssion, which may be swept or flushed out ing on' the pivots H and the bars K sliding at any time. A difficulty with this plan is in their loops, and the movement being limthat the cows in eating throw some portions ited by the binding of the bars in their of the feed forward out of the depression and loops, or, if desired, b Y stops N on the bars. beyond their reach, and this must be pushed When thesheets are t us folded and swung back from time to time'by attendants. TO upward to the position shown in dotted avoid this, I provide broad sheets of suitable lines, they are obviously entirely out of the material which are set on edge at the proper way and the floor and de ression may be distance in front of the cattle, to prevent the swept or washed as readily as though no feed from bein'gthrown forward, and which such devices were provided. I For convenwhen not needed are swung u) above th ienee, each sheet may serve for two stalls, heads of the cows, leaving the floor and debeing in that case-light enough to be quickly pressions therein entirely free from obstruc- I raised or lowered by any attendant. tions to' sweeping or washing. The sheet Gr is usually made of light, pref- 9,0

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l erably perforated, metal, but the construe: -is aside elevation of devices embodying my ti n is readily varied, and the material is invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line not necessarily metal. 22, Fig. 1, looking to the left. W'hat I claim is: v

In these figures, A represents a cement 1, I d vi s of the @135 des ribed, the floor, 'B, one Of a Series Of di ng upright combination with a floor -and posts rising posts, braced by curved bars F, respectively, f m the floor, of bars pivoted to-the posts a beam connecting the post: and usually at some distance above the floor to swing supporting the upper end of ordinary stanupward and normally extending downchions, not shown. The cement floor is wardly forward therefrom, of a sheet of formed with a trough-like depressi suitable material secured at its imperedge to nwd t y in flolltof and P all to h l the lower ends of the bars with its opposite of posts, so that anythingthereon may b edge normally restin upon the, floor. vcouven'ientl swe t orwa'shed into thesde- 2. In devices of t e class described, the, pressions E to e then carried along the t omhjn tm with a' floor and posts rising m'ally resting upon the floor, and adapted to fold toward said bars and to be swung upward with said bars, leaving the floor clear.

3. In devices of the class described, the combination with a floor having a troughlike depression, of posts alongside said pression, bars pivoted to the posts above the floor to swing upward to approximately vertiral positions between them and downward therefrom over said depression, and a rigid sheet hinged at its upper edge to the free endsof said bars, to foldtoward their plane;

t. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a rigid. sheet adapted to rest edgewise upon a floor, of bars pivoted at their ends to opposite ends, respectively, of said sheet, whereby the sheet may swing toward the plane of the bars, and brace bars pivoted to the sheet in like manner, at some distance from the pivots of the bars first mentioned, and having their free end portions slidingly held in ways upon the censliding" braces limiting the sesame tral portions, respectively, of the bars first l inen tioned.

o The combination with. a floor and two vertical posts rising therefrom and provided above the same with stop extending laterally from one toward theother, of two bars between the posts and pivoted to them, respectively, to project in front thereof and to swing into approximately vertical position determined by said stop, a downwardly extending sheet hinged to the free ends of the bars to rest with its lower edge upon '55 the floor when the bars are in their lower 'nisition and to fold plane of the bars at other times, and rigid folding and unfolding movements of the sheet.

In testimony whereof I afilx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

l1 l-ANK 'i. ENGLISH.

Wit] asses:

Q}. lAlL'lS Finns, lib W. 'lnowixis.

approximately into {the 1 

